This invention relates in general to golf clubs and, more particularly, to an apparatus for positioning and holding a golf club for installation of a golf club grip.
The vast majority of golf club grips are not perfectly axi-symmetrical. Typically, golf club grips include a ridge or a flat designed to assist the golfer in lining up the club in preparation for hitting a golf ball. Because the golf club grip is not perfectly axi-symmetrical it must be installed on the golf club shaft in a particular orientation with respect to the face of the golf club head. To assist the grip installer in aligning the grips, many grips are provided with small alignment marks on the side of the grip facing upward when the club is held horizontally with the face of the club aligned vertically. This allows the installer to visually align the alignment marks with the leading edge of the golf club face while installing the grip. Unfortunately, since the alignment marks and the face of the club are quite a distance apart, mis-aligned grip installation can and often does occur. Recognizing the limitations of visually aligning the leading edge of the golf club face with the grip alignment marks, golf club manufacturers have proposed the use of various apparatus to assist in the grip installation process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,815 to Karner, et al. discloses one such alignment apparatus. The alignment apparatus disclosed in Karner, et al. includes a spaced apart vertically aligned pair of rails that provide a vertical datum. When installing a grip, the operator of the mechanism places the club in the mechanism and rotates it about its shaft axis to bring the leading edge of the club head into engagement with the vertical plane defined by the pair of rails. Once aligned in this manner, the operator actuates a clamp that holds the club. A laser beam is used to provide an alignment indicia to guide the operator in the installation of the grip. Because golf clubs have different offsets, as will be hereinafter described in detail, the device on which the pair of rails is mounted translates toward and away from the golf club shaft axis automatically when contacted by the leading edge of the club head. Such translational movement will occur during rotation of the golf club prior to the leading edge of the head coming into contact with both of the rails and can continue if the club is rotated beyond vertical. Therefore, the positioning capability relies solely on the skill and attentiveness of the operator. What is needed then is a golf club installation apparatus that automatically clamps the golf club with the leading edge of the face oriented for installation of a golf club grip.